Author

Mustafa Stitou

Mustafa Stitou (b. 1974, Tetouan, Morocco) works and lives in Amsterdam. He published his first collection, Mijn vormen (My forms), in 1994 at the age of nineteen. In 1998 Mijn gedichten (My poems) followed and two years later both collections were republished in one volume. His third collection, Varkensroze ansichten (Pig pink picture postcards; 2003), was awarded the prestigious VSB Poetry Prize in 2004, marking Stitou’s position as one of Holland’s most promising young poets today.

The Poetry of Mustafa Stitou

(De Bezige Bij, )

When Moustafa Stitou made his debut with Mijn vormen (My forms) in 1994, he was the first Dutch poet of Moroccan origin to publish a collection with a major publishing house. This might have helped a bit in raising extra attention to his work, as did the fact that he was only nineteen years old when he published it, but the most important reason for the sensation that Mijn Vormen caused, can merely be attributed to the unusual tone of voice the poet displayed in it, combined with highly original images and points of view.